Fort Totten Red Line collision (ATC track circuit failure)
S5 · 22 Jun 2009 · WMATA · Washington, DC, USA
Record
| Company | WMATA |
| Industry | Other |
| Type(s) | fatality |
| Date | 22 Jun 2009 (day precision) |
| Time of day | 16:58 |
| Location | Washington, DC, USA · Fort Totten station |
| Severity | (fatality or catastrophic loss) |
| Scale | 2 trains / 1 fatal collision |
| Confidence | high |
| Verified flag | Yes - independently re-checked against the cited source |
Summary
A moving Metrorail train struck a stopped train near Fort Totten station after a track circuit module (built by GRS/Alstom Signaling) failed to detect the stopped train, causing the automatic train control system to send speed commands leading to the crash; 9 died (incl. the operator) and 80 were injured.
Primary source
Publisher: NTSB · Retrieved: 2026-09-16
Supporting source rows (1)
| Date | Supporting source row | Publisher | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jun 2009 | Fort Totten Red Line collision (ATC track circuit failure) | NTSB | NTSB |
WMATA other incidents timeline
Other context
fatality context
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Related incidents
Other WMATA entries
- ~Jan 2025 - 217 station overruns after ATO reactivation on Red Line
- ~Jun 2009 - WMATA suspends Automatic Train Operation systemwide after Fort Totten crash
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